Hanger for trolley-wires.



H. SGHTTE.

Y HANGER FOB. TROLLEY WIRES.

APPLmATIoN FILED SEPT. 12, 1907.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

z SHEETS-'SHEET 1.

5 www/Lio@ H. SGHTTB.

HANGER POR TROLLEY WIRES.

APPLICATION IILBD SEPT. 12, 1907.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HERMANN SCH'ITE, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

HANGER FOR TROLLEY-WIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application led September 12, 1907. Serial No. 392,482.

To all w/Lom t may concer/L.'

Be it known that I, HERMANN SCHTTE, a citizen of the Fmpire of Germany, residing in lloodlawn, Vheeling, in the county of PGhio and State of lest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hangers for Trolley-VVres, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hangers for grooved and round trolleyswires which are intended for use with bracket and span construction and similar' constructions and 'for single and double catenary construction, and in which the wire-cla nping jaws are made from sheet-steel or other suitable metal and locked to the trolley-wire in a strong and reliable manner, so that a number of objections to the hangers heretofore in use are obviated and a number of advantages over the same obtained; and for this purpose the invention consists of a hanger for trolley-wires which comprises sheet-metal clamping-jaws with a central socket-portion and longitudinal jaws having outwardly-bent flanges, an interiorlythreaded nut seated inthe upper part of said socket-portion for connection with an insulator or hanger-rod, and locking-clamps for binding the flanged ends of the hanger-j aws firmly together, so that the lower ends of the same will securely hold the trolley-wire.

The invention consists further in the application of the improved hanger for trolley-wires for single or double catenary construction, and lastly of certain additional details of construction which will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side-elevation of my improved hanger for supporting a grooved trolleywire, Fig. 2 is a plan-view of Fig. l, Fig. 3 is an end-elevation of the hanger showing its relation to the insulator and tr lley-wheel, Fig. 4C is a detail side-view of the screwnut supported in the center-socket of the hanger, Fig. 5 is a detail planview of one of the locking-clamps for the jaws of the hanger, Fig. 6 is an end-view of the lockingclamp, Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section of the improved hanger for supporting a round trolley-wire, Fig. 8 is a side-elevation of a hanger for single catenary suspension, Fig. 9, an end-view of the same, Fig. 10 is a side-elevation of a hanger for double catenary suspension, and Fig. 1l, an end-elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several fig ures of the drawings.

The improved hanger can be used for any desired size of trolley-wire and for longitudinally grooved well as round wires. The hanger is constructed of a middle portion a and longitudinal jaws j extending from its lower ends, the middle portion having elastic side-walls or shanks al with outwardly-fiaring edges a2 and being formed at its upper end in the shape of a socket with an inwardly-drawn circular flange o3 and square corners below the same for supporting a fixed square nut n, which is rounded oli' at the upper corners and provided with an interior screw-thread for being suspended from an insulator z', as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Vhen the hanger is used for single or double catenary construction, a hangerrod is screwed into the square nut n, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10. The side-walls or shanks of the center-socket a converge towards each other and are provided at their lower ends with the longitudinal jaws j which are provided at their upper edges with outwardly-bent flanges jl and below said flanges with channels or grooves which converge toward the free ends of the jaws. The lower parts of the jaws are bent inwardly to form the gripping part for the trolley-wire fw, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7. Tapered clamps d, having inwardly-bent side-edges or lips (Z1, are placed over the ianges jl and engage with their side-edges in the channels oiiigrooves formed below said flanges, the taper of the lips of the clamps corresponding to that of the converging channels or grooves of the jaws so that the jaws may be clamped together on the wire by the wedge action of the clamps.

The center-socket with its flaring and converging side-walls, together with the jaws and their flanges, are preferably stamped in one integral piece by suitable dies from sheet-metal, preferably sheetsteel. The hanger may, however, be made of two symmetrical semi-sections which overlap at the upper nut-supporting socket and are riveted together at their overlapping parts. Vhen the tapering locking-clamps are slid over the outwardly-bent flanges of the hangerjaws towards the center-portion or socket of the hanger, the lower ends of the jaws are firmly pressed against the sides of the trolley-wire for firmly supporting the same.

For suspending round trolleywires, the lower'ends of they jaws are curved and beveled, asy shown in Fig. 7. The lockingelainps are so arranged that their inwardlybent ends press in the channels or grooves of the hanger-jaws, at the 'same time engaging with their grooves the outwardly-bent flanges of the jaws andl leaving a small clearance between the edges of the flanges of the hanger-jaws and theV clamps. The pressure of the clamp against a point of the jaw above the point where the jaw engages the trolley-wire` tends to tilt the jaw, Vso that the lower or gripping part thereof is moved away 'from the wire. The middle portions of the jaws are prevented from tilting on account of their connection with the shanks, and therefore torsion action would be produced in the jaws. For this reason the jaws are provided with the outwardly-bent flanges jl which bind in the grooves of the clamp, so that the jaws are bound toV engage the wire properly.

One or bothof the outwardly-bent flanges jl on each side of the central portion of the hanger is elongated, so that when the clamp isy in locking position this elongated part will project beyond the clamp. After the hanger is applied to the wire and locked to the saine, said elongated end inay be bent upwardly, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2, so as to. secure the clamp in locking position.

The novel shape of the clamp is due to the deep narrow grooves which are formed bythe inwardly-bent and tapering lips in connection with thebody of the clamp. rlhis clamp makes it possible to draw the flange- 'Vgripping jaws of' the hanger together against the wire by a parallel motion, since the flanges of the jaws bind in said grooves of the clamp in such a way as to prevent any.

- tilting of the gripping-jaws, which tends to result from the wedging action of the tapered lips when the clamp is forced to make the hanger-jaws engage the wire. VThe deeply grooved clamp, bent up from sheetmetal and having a retaining action toward the flanged gripping-jaws in addition to the wedging action of the tapered'lips, Yis an important featureof the invention. By providing this constructionthe opening of the ends of the gripping-jaws, so that the trolley-wheel strikes the saine and causes sparking and loosening of the wire, is prevented.

The hangers so far described are for bracket and span construction. VWhen the hanger is to be used for single cat-enary suspension, the lower end of the hangerrod It is screwedfinto the screw-nut n in the socket-portion of the hanger, the hangerrod YL being bent at its upper end into a double U-shaped hood lz?, as shown in Figs. 8. and 9, theend of the Wire being connected with the hanger-rod proper by a sleeve hr2. The U-shaped suspension-hook h1 is firmly clamped to the messenger-Wire f by a transverse bolt ha and nut h4, the bolt being at a suitable distance above the trolley-wire. The distance of theV trolley-wire from the catenary curve which is formed by the messenger-wire f is adjusted by screwing theV lower end of the hanger-rod Vmore or less into the connecting screw-nut a seated in the upper portion of the hanger-socket.

For double catenary suspension, hanger is suspended by passed through between the double hook bei f low lthe messenger-wire f which is suspended the i twor converging Y hanger-rods hx which are attached by their Y threaded lower ends to a transverse double nut nl, seated in the upper socket-portion of the hanger, and which are provided with SVG U-shaped double hooks ii in the same manner as the hanger-rods for single catenaly suspension, said hooks being applied to twoparallel inessenger-wires j" and connectedby one common transverse brace-bolt f2V vantages both in regard to the electrical as.

well. as to the mechanical points. In regard to the former, it is obvious that the trolleywheel or bow Yby which the electric current f is conducted from the ytrolley-wire to theinotor on the car has a continuous contract with the Vtrolley-wire, so that no interruption of the current by an interruption of they contact with the trolley-wire takes place. By the reliablecontact thus obtained, the disagreeable concussion effects which interrupt the. current and which tend to thevformation of sparks at the points oi" interruption are entirely prevented. Y As thehangers firmly and reliably holdr the trolley-wire throughout its entire length, they are superior as compared to other constructions,the more so as the material from which the hangers Vare made is of thin and elastic nature, which tightly holds the wire and prevents sparking for the reason mentioned.

TheV hanger, when Vmade of sheet-steel.l or equivalent materialr of sufficient strength,` has a comparatively small weight andv per- Vniits the easy suspension ofthe trolley-wire. Owing to the material from4 the same. from which the hanger is made it can be bent upby means of diesfand can be made in exactly the same shape and at a comparatively lowy cost. The hanger can be readily adapted for` any desired thickness of Wire and hugs the grooved trolley-wire aswellas the'round trolley-Wire with equal tightness and reliability. The hanger for round trolley-wires is readily appliedftheretowithout any soldering, simply `by grasping the greater part of the wire. The jaws are slightly separated, which can be done without injury to the hangers, as the sides or shanks or the hanger-socket have sufficient elasticity to give for the introduction of the trolley -wire. For this purpose the shanks of the hanger are elongated suiiiciently so as to impart sucient play for applying the hanger to the trolley-wire. For single catenary suspension the sides of the conical socket may be provided with a raised portion or rib a5, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, so as to give suilicient space for the screwing in of the hanger-rod, while for double catenary suspension the threaded holes of the transverse screw-nut nl are located in the ends of the screw-nut at an angle of 30 to a vertical plane so as to provide an independent adjustment for the ends of the hanger-rods corresponding to the catenary curve formed by the messenger-wires. The hanger-rods for catenary construction have to be made in different lengths so that adjustment is confined to the curve formed by the messenger-wires in mounting the same. This adjustment of the trolley-wire to the exact distance below the messengerwires, and, in the case of double catenary suspension, the adjust-ment of the distance between the two catenary cables by means of the brace-bolt, form important points of advantage of the improved hangers, t0- gether with the fact that the comparatively thin, round hanger-rods offer but a small surface against wind pressure, while they are of sufficient strength for the reliable support of the trolley-wire.

As regards the hangers for round wires, an advantage of the improvedy hanger over the expensive brass hangers heretofore used is that galvanized sheet-steel can be used, which is made up in different sizes so as to provide for the different sizes of trolleywires a reliable contact with the same. The lower ends of the gripping-jaws are preferably reduced to a point by hammering, whereby the material employed receives additional firmness at the lower ends, which also do not interfere with the trolley-wheels- The thin curved jaws form a superior and reliable grip for the trolley-wire and the hanger can be furnished at considerably less cost than the more expensive hangers heretofore in use.

Since the improved hanger holds a round wire reliably without soldering, there may' be cases where soldering is favored in addition to the mechanical clamping; or the hanger may be sprung to the wire and soldered to the same without applying the locking-clamps. It is evident that in this latter case the channels and flanges of the gripping-jaws may be omitted. Such modications are considered within the scope of the invention.

1n the drawing the hangers for catenary suspension are illustrated as adapted for the suspension of a grooved wire, but itis understood that they may be used with a round wire by forming the gripping-jaws as shown in Fig. 7. As the hangers at present in use do not grip a round wire in a reliable way and combine this advantage with the ease of attachment, it is the practice to use the grooved wire for catenary construction in order to get an easy mechanical grip on the same and provide a smooth contact surf face, which is essential for high-speed electric traction where catenary suspension is mainly used. As by this invention a hanger is provided which grips a round wire reliably and is easy to attach, it is evident that round wire may be advantageously used in connection with the catenary hangers if desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A hanger for trolley-wires comprising a central socket-portion having elastic shanks and longitudinal jaws extending from said Shanks, a screw-nut fixed in said socket-portion, and means for locking said jaws to the trolley-wire.

2. A hanger for trolley-wires comprising a central socket-portion having elastic shanks and longitudinal gripping-jaws eX- tending from said shanks, a screw-nut fixed in said socket-portion, and removable means for locking said jaws to the trolleywire.

3. A hanger for trolley-wires comprising sheet-metal gripping-jaws having outwardly-bent flanges with converging channels below said flanges, and clamps having inwardly-bent and tapered lips which engage in said channels and force the jaws together' by wedge action, said lips forming grooves and said flanges binding in said grooves and preventing the gripping-jaws 'rom tilting.

. 4. A hanger for trolley-wires comprising flanged gripping-jaws having converging channels below the flanges, and clamping members having tapered inwardly-projecting lips forming narrow deep grooves to retain the flanges of the gripping-jaws and prevent` the jaws from tilting when the clamps are slid over said jaws to press the same together against the wire by wedge-action of said tapered lips in said channels.

5. A hanger for trolley-wires comprising sheet-metal gripping-jaws having outwardly-bent lianges with converging channels below said flanges and clamps having inwardly-bent and tapered lips which engage in said channels and force the jaws together by wedge action, said lips formin grooves and said flanges binding in sai grooves and preventing the gripping-jaws agalnst tilting and extensions on said jaws Y adapted to be bent up to secure the clamps inV locking position.

6. A hanger for trolley-Wires comprising a central socket-portion having elastic Shanks and longitudinal gripping jaws, said jaws being bent up from sheet-metal and beveled to grip the greater part of a round Wire, the ends of said jaws being sharpened.

7. A hanger for trolley-Wires comprising a central socket-portion, elastic Shanks and longitudinal gripping jaws, said socket, Shanks and jaws being made from one integral piece.

8. A hanger-for trolley-Wires consisting of a central socket-portion, a screw-nut, secured in the upper part of the socket-p0rtion, longitudinal jaws extending at opposite ends from the side-Walls of the socketportion, means for locking the jaws toV the trolley-Wire, a hanger-rod screwed into the screw-nut of the socket-portion, a U-shaped double hook formed by the upper end of the hanger-rod, and a clamping-bolt and nut for applying the hanger-rod rigidly to the messenger-Wire. Y y

9. A hanger :for trolle r-Wres formed of a central socket-portion provided with longitudinal jaws extending from both ends and sides oi the socket-portion, means for locking the ends ofV the jaws together, a screw- Y nut located in the upper end of the socketportion, converging suspension-rods screwed into said nut and provided Veach with; a double U-shaped suspension-hook' at their upper ends, and a bracerod extending through the suspension-hooks of the hangerrods for clamping themy to the messenger- Wire.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses;

HERMANN SGHTTE.

Witnesses: Y

PAUL GOEPEL, HENRY J. SUHRBIVER. 

